So, here we go again. I know, I know this has been asked before, but this time I think I have a little different twist, so here goes...

I've been skiing on the below ski since I bought it new in 1993. It is a 67" HO Turbo. It was the best I could afford, and I think it was a great ski, and is still a solid ski. Last year I even started skiing the coarse on it, and could make all 6 ball at 30mph and 0' off behind a malibu ride.

That was then, this is now. I now have my own boat '97 ps205, just got a new wake board, and wakesurfer, and now I'm shopping for a ski. I will be the first to admit it, I am totally cought up in the glitz and glam of the awesome top of the line new skis. I think I want the HO A1 or A2. I am not a coarse skier, but I want to be. There are a few near me that I'm looking to join vs getting my own portable one. But most of the time I'll be skiing open water with my kids and wife.

So here is my main question: Aside from just costing me a lot more money is there any drawback to me buying a top of the line competition ski and then using it for recreational skiing most of the time?

I am 5'10.5" tall, and 198lbs, and I have a line on a few used or demo skis for good deals as follows:

Can only comment on the Monza and the A-1. I agree, you are over due for a new ski. Bothe the Monza and the A1 are aggressive skis. The want to be "on edge". Not enjoyable skis for riding in rough water or recreational skiers. If you have glass and want to progress into short line at some point, they are good skis and the price seems fair for sure. My two cents on size, I think you are on the right track. I do wonder if either the Monza or A1 will be too much ski. If you are serious about skiing the course at higher speeds, they may be the one. If not and you get out mostly rec. type skiing, I would choose something else besides these HO's. Good luck I hope you get lots of use out of your new ski.

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"One foot in the grave, one foot on the pedal, I was born a rebel" Petty

Like you, I was skiing on an older "nice" ski. So, I decide to buy a "better" ski. I got a Connelly FX shaped ski. It does a lot of thing great: easy to get up on, the shaped ski falls into turns, and it is very forgiving in less than idea water. I decided to keep looking. My wife has the FX and loves it. I bought a Connelly F1 and Concept used from someone on ski-it-again. Both were proven and loved skis, I hated both of them. No way to really explain why, they just did not "feel" the same as my old ski. I sold those in a few weeks after getting them and ordered a new NOS (Nitro). It was like instantly being the "perfect" ski for me. No way to describe it. I then bought a Monza, same shape as the NOS, but slightly smaller, carbon lighter. It is a great ski, but I love the NOS for my level of skiing, sucky (15' off at 30 mph). I live on a private lake, so my water is always pretty good.

A few points: 1. Just because a ski has a lot of rave reviews doesn't mean it will be the right ski for you. 2. When you get a ski (new or used) check with the manufacturer to get the stock set up. Set the ski to that before you ride it. Then work from there. Try to demo a lot of different skis before making a high dollar commitment. Good luck.

I to went from a older HO to a Connley F1X wide body with double fastbacks. First, I love it now with hundreds of passes and 3 years old. Infact a freind bought the same ski after trying mine. It is the most forgivable high end ski I've used so far. Very comfortable up to 28 off and 32mph. Oddly I skied on a new competitive F1 and did not like it as well, to high performance. Your my size so I would be looking at atleast at a 68 inch and up, I use a 69 better for slower speeds.

Nothing ruins the fun of skiing more than a ski you just can't handle. It is a common mistake for people at your stage to buy the "best ski" on the market thinking it is the right ski for them.

Imagine if your teenage son's first car was the best formulae one car from last year. How would he go trying to drive the thing?

It is important that you have a ski you can progress on. It is equally important that you can be confident on it and safely throw it around a little bit if you want to.

About 10 years ago, as soon as they came out I purchased a Connelly F1. Nearly everybody that rode it got thrown off the thing every second turn. I stuck with it and after 3 years I was confident to ride it as hard as I liked. In the meantime it was hard work.

In open water, the F1 was really tiring. Our slalom course is on a public lake and I can't ski below 34mph on that type of ski in the course so rough water in the course was very difficult unless I was super fit and could run 34 in surf.

I learned to love that ski but others friends gave up slaloming because their ski was just too much. I think I would have progressed faster if I had purchased a more intermediate ski. When I got the F1 I was occasionally running into 3 buoys at 36mph.

My suggestion is to make sure you demo the ski. Be aware that more advanced skis are much more tiring for long runs in open water. See if you are confident and comfortable. Don't be afraid to buy an intermediate ski then upgrade again in two years. You might have spent an extra bit of money but that, I think is the best way to maintain your love of the sport. if you make it so hard or so serious you ultimately give up you've not saved anything.